This is a great but strenuous hike. The sign at the trail head says 4.7 miles to Florida Saddle, which seems about right - many of these very decorative metal signs are incorrect! We're having a very warm and dry winter this year; this hike's day was cool with thin clouds and hazy sunshine. The route overall was the driest I've ever seen with no overgrowth (unusual for this time of year) so the path was easy to follow. The trail up Florida canyon is nicely varied with steep rocky sections interspersed with flatter and smoother parts. The last mile or so before the saddle switchbacks up a steep slope, and the saddle itself is usually pretty overgrown - but not this time! I'd forgotten (or not realised) that there are two major junctions at the top. The first is Florida Saddle itself, where Florida Canyon, Sawmill and Cave Creek trails meet - there are a couple of obvious signs. About 0.3 miles further up a few switchbacks you get to the junction of Crest and Four Springs trails, which has just one small sign for Armour Spring. We went this way. This part of Four Springs trail is little used and not maintained, so be careful! It's on a steep slope with loose footing. If there's any undergrowth (there often is), the trail can be hard to follow. From Florida Saddle over to the unnamed saddle is about 1 fairly slow mile, due to the poor footing, undergrowth and many deadfalls. This section broadly follows the contour line, with a few switchbacks at the end up to the saddle. From this saddle you can keep going on Four Springs over to Shovel Saddle and down into Madera Canyon (highly recommended!). But this time we hiked over to McCleary Peak. The official gps trace here is good, and the "trail" has had some work done since the last triplog. From the large and obvious cairn on the log at the saddle, the trail starts out pretty clearly, heading over toward the peak. There are occasional cairns, but the trail was fairly obvious from the pruned bushes. The main thing is to stay high on the ridge as much as possible, ignore the opportunities to head off to the side and scramble up the rocks instead. It's a very slow 0.3 miles from the saddle to McCleary peak due to the scrambling and heavy growth. You'll be rewarded with stunning views in all directions at various points, and the peak itself is open and flat. Look for the registry there to leave your mark. We took 8hrs 45min total, slowed somewhat by one hiker with a bad knee and a few leisurely breaks. Total distance was about 12 miles, elevation gain about 4000'.

Yesterday, I suffered a very mild heat stress, so today I would take no chances and would re-gear for the heat; big ol' hat, 3 liter Camel, spare 3 liter Camel, 1+ liters in bottles, tossed the survival kit out of my pack and was ready to rip.

I met up with Roy at 7:45 and we departed. We hit the trail at around 9:00 as I recall and began our upward march. Only a short way in, a mist began to fall, then subside, then repeat... The atmosphere was extremely pleasant and the lighting was perfect for enjoying the views. And what views they are. We had the perfect conditions all the way to the top, or I should say almost to the top :/ Just after Armour Spring, we were so focused on the ground and finding the trail, that we failed to notice the squall that had developed over head. Then with only a few seconds notice, it hit! We quickly dropped pack and geared up for rain, and with the peak only a few hundred yards ahead of us, we stupidly trudged on At the peak, it was more wind than rain, so we took a quick photo-op and signed the register before making a hasty retreat. Upon our departure, the rain:wind ratio inverted, then the whole thing just went ^2. I can't speak for Roy, but as for my self, fear was keeping me warm and vertical(or seemingly so). It wasn't until Armour Spring, that the weather gave in and we could assess our situation and it was far less than we had hoped or planned for. ...But aside from that; soaked, cold, numb, hungry, tired and giggling like a couple of drunk teenagers, we made our way back to the TH.

That was one wild ride!!!

Thanks Roy for the adventure and for driving down. I'll see you on Friday...

I headed back to Wrightson with JJ for the second time this month. We decided on another approach this time. I was not as spry as usual today and was beat several times by the climb.

McCleary was fun. I got a little off-trail on the way back and regretted it a bit, but the route is generally easy to follow with careful attention. There was water everywhere and nearly perfect temps. Blanco tore it up as usual and we got tacos on the way home.

I like that Wrightson area. I already have a few more hikes on the mind for that area.